Beans and greens gratin.Sure, it's a lot more convenient to buy canned beans than to take the time to cook dried beans. Trouble is, canned beans tend to be slightly overcooked, which makes them mushy.
They also cost significantly more than dried beans. A 16-ounce bag of dried beans yields nearly 6 cups of cooked beans. Whereas a 15-ounce can of beans yields roughly 1 1/2 cups. Cup for cup, canned beans are almost twice as expensive as dried.
But we all know these things. So why don't more people cook beans from scratch? Many people worry that cooking dried beans just takes too darned long. And in fact, it does indeed take time to cook them properly. The good news is that little of that is hands-on time. And if you make it a weekend project, you can cook up a large batch of dried beans and freeze them in 1- or 2-cup portions.
Beans and Greens Gratin
1 1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 cups packed, coarsely chopped chard, kale, mustard greens or collard leaves, or a mix
2 cups cooked pinto, white beans, kidney beans, black beans or chickpeas
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, toss together the breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the pepper flakes and a bit of salt. Set aside.
In a large ovenproof skillet over medium, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the greens in batches and cook until they are wilted.
Mash 1/2 cup of the beans with a potato masher or fork and add the mashed beans along with the whole beans, broth, cheese, tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the mixture and bake on the oven's middle shelf until the top is lightly browned and the beans are bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes.
Servings: 6.